Trestle brace



Jan. 18, 1938. F E MA EY 2,105,979

TBESTLE BRACE Filed March 29, 1937 Patented Jan. 18, 1938 UNi'i' 2 Claims.

This invention relates to trestle braces, and more particularly to a brace for connecting the beam and legs of the type of scaffold generally known as a trestle.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a device of this character which may be readily and cheaply manufactured from sheet metal, which will be very light in weight, and which will provide an efiicient connection for the trestle beam and legs.

I attain these and other objects by the construction shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing one end of the beam and the adjacent legs of a trestle connected by a brace constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is an end elevation looking toward the right of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the brace shown in Figures 1 and 2, with the trestle beam and legs removed.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the brace; and

Figure 5 is a plan view of the sheet metal blank from which the brace of Figures 1 to 4 inclusive is formed.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the present brace comprises two similar sockets 5 and 5a adapted to receive the legs 5 and 6a of the trestle, and a flat horizontal plate I integrally secured at its opposite side edges to the lower edges of the inner walls of the sockets 5 and 5a. and cooperating with said inner walls of the sockets 5 and 5a to form a trough for reception of the beam 8 of the trestle. Each of the sockets 5 and 5a comprises an inner wall 9, a top wall H] integrally secured to the upper edge of the inner wall 9 along one edge thereof, and at its opposite edge to an outer wall I l of the socket. Integrally secured to the side edges of the outer wall ll of each socket are side walls I2 having flanges l3 which abut the inner wall 9 and are riveted or otherwise secured to the latter. Rivets are preferably used for this purpose as indicated at M and Ma, respectively near the top and bottom of the inner wall 9, the upper rivet at I4 preferably having enlarged conical inner heads adapted to bite into the sides of the beam 8 and hold it from upwardly or longitudinal displacement from the trough. This longitudinal displacement of beam t may be additionally prevented by means of upstanding spurs l5 struck from the intermediate portion of plate '1. Also, the side walls l2 of each socket are preferably provided with horizontally alined openings or apertures 16 through which nails may be driven into the upper ends of the legs 6 or 6st for effectively securing the latter in its socket.

It will be particularly noted that the plate 1 connecting the lower ends of the sockets 5 and 5a. constitute the only connection between the latter, so that said sockets may flex relative to each other about lines coinciding with the juncture of the inner walls 9 of the sockets with the side edges of plate 1. Thus, when the lower ends of the legs 6 and 6a are spread apart, the inner walls of the sockets are brought into tight gripping engagement with opposite sides of the beam 8. Naturally, the load on the beam 8 will maintain this clamping engagement between the inner Walls 9 of the sockets with the opposite sides of beam 8.

By the use of the present invention, trestles may be quickly erected and dismantled, and when dismantled they will take up very little space while being transported or stored.

What I claim as new is:

1. A trestle brace comprising two similar sockets to receive the legs of the trestle, and a flat horizontal plate integrally connected at its opposite side edges with the lower edges of the inner walls of said sockets, said horizontal plate cooperating with the inner walls of the socket to provide a trough for reception of the trestle beam, said horizontal plate constituting the sole connection between the socket so as to permit free flexing of the latter about lines coincident with the junctures of the edges of said plate with the edges of the inner Walls of the socket, whereby spreading of the lower ends of the trestle legs will cause gripping engagement of the inner walls of said socket with opposite sides of the trestle beam, each socket comprising a top wall integrally secured to the upper edge of the inner wall thereof along one edge, an outer wall integrally connected at its upper edge to the opposite edge of said top wall, and side walls integral with the side edges of the outer wall and having flanges abutting and secured to the inner wall, rivets securing said flanges to the inner wall of each socket and having conical inner heads arranged to penetrate the side of the trestle beam.

2. A trestle brace comprising two similar sockets to receive the legs of the trestle, and a flat horizontal plate integrally connected at its opposite side edges with the lower edges of the inner walls of said sockets, said horizontal plate cooperating with the inner walls of the socket to provide a trough for reception of the trestle beam, said horizontal plate constituting the sole connection between the socket so as to permit free flexing of the latter about lines coincident with the junctures of the edges of said plate with the edges of the inner walls of the socket, whereby spreading of the lower ends of the trestle legs will cause gripping engagement of the inner Walls of said socket with opposite sides of the trestle beam, each socket comprising a top wall integrally secured to the upper edge of the inner wall thereof along one edge, an outer wall in- 

